Canines & Car Chases

To those chasing,

I have always been fascinated by dogs. Something about their fuzzy faces, the way they always seem happy, and the way they seem to love and protect anyone who cares for them. Growing up my favorite animal was the wolf and for 12 years of my life I even wanted to be a veterinarian because of my compassion for my canine companions. However, as much as I loved and had learned about dogs over the years one thing always perplexed me…

Why do dogs chase cars?

I mean don’t they realize that a speeding car weighing thousands of pounds will win every time. I get that they like the taste of rubber (chew toys, tennis balls, etc.) and like to protect their “territory” from “intruders” but it seems to me that if a dog is smart enough to play dead than it should be smart enough to avoid death.

In case you were wondering these are the kinds of questions that haunt me at night. In fact a couple of days ago this very question began to buzz around my brain like a pesky gnat. I know this is a very silly thing to harbor over, but that’s the way my mind works. And I would gladly say that when the “aha” moment finally came it was well worth the effort and wait... We as humans are no smarter than the dogs that chase cars.

How often do we too chase the fast paced, large scale, or fast moving things in life?

How often do we spend our days chasing money, relationships, and/or the newest and shiniest piece of technology? Better yet, how often do we spend our time running after the great intangibles such as fame, status, and/or happiness? As Americans it seems that we almost have a genetic disorder. It’s as if all of us, no matter if we are young or old, have an attraction to chasing things that we have no chance of catching, and if we ever did manage to catch them we would have no idea of what to do with them.

This is why Proverbs 18 kicks off with this warning shot, “An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends…”(NIV). Did you catch that? The most important part of this verse isn’t that some people are unfriendly or that they are selfish (that’s common sense). No the most important part is that small and quiet last word… ends. Let the weight of this word sink to the bottoms of your hearts. The author of this proverb thousands of years ago recognized that we as humans have a perpetual tendency to pursue the things that aren’t pursuable, to chase our own desires, to run after objects that result in dead ends. This proverb tells you where your vain pursuits in life will ultimately lead you. It’s apparent that the rest of the world is running after futile things, “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” 1 Timothy 6:11

I write this to encourage you to pursue the One who pursued you first.

I write this to encourage you to keep your eyes on the real prize that is Jesus Christ

I write this to encourage you to find the real source of love and happiness in life

I write this to encourage you to

Stop Chasing Cars

Merely,

Chris Gerac

“Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.” Proverbs 21:21 NIV